Night-directory



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BERGSTEIN, OF RENO, NEVADA.

NIGHT-DIRECTORY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,863, dated December2, 1890.

Application filed June 13, 1890- Serial No. 355,360. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Bnnesrnm, a citizen of the United States,residing at Reno,

'Washoe county, State of Nevada, have in directories especially adaptedfor the use of professional men, by which their absence, re turn, andother matters are indicated.

My invention consists in the novel construc tion and arrangement of thedirectory hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out inthe claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a directory of this classspecially adapted for the use of physicians, whereby their presence orabsence from the house may be made known to the caller at night withoutrequiring him to disturb the household to learn such facts, and also tobetter indicate the position of the night-bell and to give anopportunity to leave such orders as may be necessary.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my in vention, Figure l is a vertical section of my directory. Fig. 2is a detail perspective of one of the openings in the frame A. Fig. 8 isa face view of the directory,indicating the presence at home of thephysician. Fig. 4 is a face view of the same, the placards being changedto indicate the absence of the physician.

A is aframe, which is adapted to be located in a suitable positionas,for instance, to be let into the panel B of a door. Across thetransverse center of this frame is a bar a, in which is located thebell-connection O,of any suitable character, here shown as the ordinarypushdoutton of an electric bell. In the opening above this bar is let aclear-glass pane D, upon the upper portion of which may be printed thename of the physician. In the opening under the cross-bar is let a paneE of ground glass, usually termed and better known as a transparentslate. The outer surface of this is adapted to be written upon. In thesides of the frame behind the glasses D and E are the curved face-guidecleats F, which admit of any suitable placard being readily fitted fromthe back of the frame into place directly behind the glasses and thereheld. From the base of the frame extends a shelf G, upon which ismounted a lamp H, which here represents any suitable source of light,located behind the device, as it is the intention to make the directoryan illuminated one for use at night. The placard in the upper opening,which is represented by I, is to be of any suitable transparent ortranslucent material, whereby the rays of light from behind will passthrough and enable the person in front to read the inscription upon it.This placard is a narrow one, as it is intended to lie behind the lowerportion of the upper or clear-glass pane D, below the permanentinscription upon said pane. The lower placard J is to be made of similartransparent or translucentmaterial and may occupy the entire spacebehind the transparent slate E, being held thereto at its lower portionby the guides F and at its upper portion by a suitable removable metalstrip j.

The use of the directory will be best seen by referring to Figs. 3 and4, where I have shown face views. It will be seen by Fig. 3

that the doctors name is permanently printed upon the upper portion ofthe clear-glass pane D. The removable placard I just above the bell hasinscribed upon it Night-bell. The removable placard J below the bell hasupon it Press the button and a hand or hands pointing to it. Such adirectory as this indicates to the caller the position of the bell, andin the absence of definite information regarding the whereabouts of thephysician it may be presumed that he is within. New by referring to Fig.4 it will be seen that the previous placard inscribedNight-bell has beenremoved and another inserted in the same place with the words Is outinscribed upon its face, and also that the lower placard J has beenremoved and a second one substituted with the words Please leave yourorders, Transparent slate, Call at, (be. The presence of the lightbehind the device enables the person without to read all theseinscriptions and thereby be informed of matters necessary for him toknow. Any light maybe used, not necessarily a lamp, but whatever sourceof light may be convenient, provided it be located at a point behind thedevice, so that its rays may pass through it.

I c /I' It is obvious that various placards may be kept on hand withinscriptions other than those here presented; but this will show theprinciple of operation and the use of the directory.

It must be noticed that the transparent slate E has a double function,first, of showing the placard behind it, and, second, of providing asuitable surface upon which to Write the order desired to be left. If itwere plain glass it would serve merely the purpose of allowing theinscription behind it to be seen, and would, therefore, be no differentfrom the upper glass D; but by being a slate it also serves the secondpurpose. It is therefore an illuminated slate, and the Whole directoryis an illuminated one adapting it for its use as a nightindicator. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A-nightdireetory consisting of asuit'able frame, a transparent slatemounted in said framegand a transparentor translucent placard mounted inthe framebe'hind' the slate, whereby a source of light located at apoint back of the placard will illuminate the face of the placard andthe slang-substantially as herein described.

2. A nightdirectory consisting of asuitable frame divided transverselyby a bar, so as to leave a top and a bottom opening, a bell-connectionin said bar,-a-clear-glass pane let into the top opening, and atransparent slate let into the bottom opening, substantially as hereindescribed.

3. A night-directory consisting of a frame having a transverse bar,leaving a top and a bottom opening a bell-connection located in saidbar, a clear-glass pane mounted in the top opening-3a transparent slatemounted in the bottom opening, and transparent or translucent placardsmounted in the frame/behindthe clear-glass pane and behind thetransparent slate,- whereby a source of light back of the framewillilluminate the entire face of the directory, substantial-1y hereindo scribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7

HENRY BERG'STEIN. itn esses:

S. H. N oURsE, H. 0. LEE;

